Presents and Pleasantries
by RoEleventyone
Summary: Sirius is going crazy stuck in Grimmauld Place. Remus takes him Christmas shopping. Fluffiness ensues. (Sirius/Remus established relationship, two-shot, set during OOTP, T to be safe)


**A/N: Reading OOTP with my Wolfstar goggles on and this line jumped out at me: chapter 23, "Sirius and Lupin had given Harry a set of excellent books..." So I decided to run with it. This being my first HP fanfic and first Wolfstar, any reviews, constructive criticism, opinions, jinxes, whatever will be very much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the series, or the characters, and I don't profit from it. (Damn.)**

ooo

The voices of the Order droned on, but for once Sirius was not paying attention to the meeting. Christmas was approaching, the dazzling snow on the window panes contrasting with the constant grime and shadows of 12 Grimmauld Place. Outside was where Sirius wanted to be- damn Dumbledore and his caution! _Dumbledore is trying to protect you, and the Order_, spoke up the sensible part of Sirius' mind. He ignored it. It was easier to feel resentful towards his confinement. Understanding why he had to stay at home was too close to giving up.

Something nudged him under the table, and he twitched, coming out of his reverie to feel Remus prodding him again. Damn. He had no idea what had been said. He risked a grin. "Yes?" he announced tentatively.

To his left, Remus gave a barely perceptible eye roll and began to speak. "What Sirius means to say is that whilst he understands the fundamental principle of your approach, he feels that it would expose too much of our own strategy. Perhaps it would be best were we to avoid any action which could be seen as confrontational- anything too ostentatious could be taken as offensive and would allow the current regime to draw attention not to our message but to our methods. On a lesser scale, perhaps..."

Grinning more widely, Sirius allowed his attention to wander again. Remus had always covered for him at Hogwarts, whenever Sirius would be distracted in lessons. Glancing at Remus, he saw that the corner of his mouth was quirked into a small smile. Of course he'd be remembering too.

Snow was piling up against the grubby window. Sirius began to internally grumble. He wanted to spend more time with Remus. What with work for the Order and staying under cover, Remus was not around for much of the time. And this was not satisfactory. These days, it was all he could do to grab a quick kiss after meetings finished. It would be bearable if Remus wasn't so damn adorable, decided Sirius grumpily. But he kept on coming to the meetings with his cleverness and his friendly eyes and tousled hair and pink cheeks and concern for the Order and scarves with holes in them and chocolate-y voice, and then Sirius wouldn't get the opportunity to cuddle him for a thousand years, and it was NOT FAIR.

Sirius' grumblings were interrupted by a flurry of activity. Finally! The meeting was over. Sirius leapt to his feet, watching the members of the Order file out. Narrowing his eyes, he gazed around for Remus. The shorter man was moving chairs out of the way, and chatting to Dedalus Diggle.

The last of the Order wandered into the hallway. Diggle appeared to be starting on a long-winded reminiscence. Sirius gave a rather dog-like growl. He usually liked Dedalus, but it was nearly Christmas, and he was crazy with boredom, and he was damned if he was going to be kept from Remus a second longer than necessary.

Sirius coughed, interrupting the high-pitched flow. "Dedalus, I need to tidy the room, and I'm sure you'll be wanting to get home," he said, quite proud of how level his voice was keeping.

Dedalus squeaked. "Merry Christmas," said Sirius, tapping his foot irritably. Behind them, Remus looked torn between laughter and exasperation.

Diggle looked from one to the other, and his eyes widened. "I'll be along, then, boys. Merry Christmas!" he squeaked, his face splitting into a wide grin. Remus blushed.

Sirius closed the door and grinned easily. "Finally!" Snatching up his wand, he said, "Accio Remus!" The light-haired man zoomed across the room, crashing into Sirius, who proceeded to kiss him for all he was worth.

Remus giggled and broke away, straightening his robes. "You probably should pay more attention in meetings." he said, smiling.

"I don't need to- I've got you." said Sirius, smugly. "In more ways than one," he added, and was rewarded by seeing the tips of Remus' ears go pink.

His momentary happiness was turned to irritation as Remus finished tidying the chairs and picked up his cloak.

"I suppose I shall see you at the next meeting," smiled Remus. "Hopefully sooner, but it's not looking likely. Happy Christmas."

Sirius blanched. His good mood evaporated. Bitterness at being trapped in Grimmauld Place was bubbling in his stomach. He didn't want Remus to leave him- Remus made the loneliness bearable. Comfortable, quiet, adorable Remus. Sensible, mischievous Remus. Sirius didn't want to be on his own at Christmas. He moved to stand in front of the peeling door.

"Don't go," Sirius said, hearing the plaintive note in his own voice and becoming angry at himself. Was he really so pathetic? Trapped in a dusty house, begging Remus to stay with him, whining like a child because the Order had to come first? One of the chairs behind them burst into flames.

"Aguamenti!" said Remus firmly, extinguishing the chair. Sirius turned away, embarrassed. He hadn't done accidental magic in years. He strode away from the door and settled into another chair, gripping his hair in frustration.

Soft, calloused hands took his, and he looked up. "I know. I know how frustrated you feel. But when we achieve what we're working for, you'll be able to be free again- we all will. And at least if Voldemort comes into the open and starts killing everyone you'll be able to come out of hiding- that's one bright side." Remus' voice was calm, even slightly humorous, but Sirius could hear the concern underlying it. Damn. Now he'd worried Remus. Everything was going wrong. Suddenly, Sirius wanted nothing more than to get out of that house.

"Let's go Christmas shopping," he said.

Remus frowned, but it wasn't an angry frown. It looked more like he was considering. "You know you're not supposed to go out. Especially not after Lucius Malfoy recognised you last time," he said reasonably. But his eyes were beginning to have a misted-over look, as though dreaming of adventure. Sirius knew that look. It was the one Remus had always worn before their Marauder pranks, back when fear of losing his Prefect's badge or getting detention was the biggest threat. It was so endearingly familiar that Sirius' mood began to lighten.

"It's no fun without a little risk!" Sirius told him. "Come on. I need to get out or I'll go crazy. And it makes sense to do it now- crowds of people around, nobody will notice us. Surely it's better to do it now, when you're here to chaperon me, than to wait until I go absolutely Doxy-shit crazy and actually murder people?"

Remus' resolve was visibly wilting. "Well..."

"Please, Moony!" wheedled Sirius. "It's nearly Christmas! For me. Come on." He grabbed Remus' hands and spun him around. "I'll take away your status as a Marauder."

Remus giggled, despite himself. "Alright. Come on then. But you have to be Disillusioned, and under an Invisibility Cloak, and holding my hand at all times."

"You're the best!" said Sirius elatedly, kissing Remus rapidly and springing away to find his Cloak. The snow on the windowsill sparkled enticingly in the sunlight, beckoning them out of the gloom.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter should be up whenever I get around to it... if I'm taking too long feel free to send me angry messages. Next chapter might be Remus' POV (any opinions?) All reviews cause me much delight and are taken to a good home where they are fed chocolate by Remus. -Ro :)**


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